Disclaimer: You'll know if I own DC Comics, trust me.

A/N: Lol, I got a break today and I decided to do this haha. Review guys, pleaaaaase~!


Chapter 8 The Bat, the Alien and the Princess

Superman were paired with Wonder Woman. He can't say he's pleased. He's grumpy and WW is all laughs. They met each other in midflight to an island somewhere near the coast of Gotham where Luthor's latest hideout of kryptonite stands. Superman felt his energy and patience dripping down the drain little by little as Diana babbles on and on about random things. His burst of inspiration to fight crime earlier was gone with the wind that he's currently flying in.

He took a deep breathe, it isn't Diana's fault why he's a jumbled mess of emotions right now… Okay, partly but she's not the main reason. Heck, he himself doesn't know why. Calm down, Clark…

"Clark, are you okay?" Clark snaps out of his reveries and looks toward the princess looking at him with concern. He sighed internally; he could never get really mad at her. "You look tired," the princess continued.

"I am," the alien admits. Emotionally though, not physically. "It's been rather draining recently."

Diana looks at him with sympathy. "I heard that the crime rates in Metropolis rose recently. If it became too much to handle please do not hesitate to contact the League. It's one of the main reasons why we formed the League after all."

"Don't worry, Diana," he replied. "It's only natural for crimes to go up during the holiday season. Now that it's over, I'm sure it'll go back to normal soon."

When Diana still looks unsatisfied, he amends quickly. An angry princess is not pleasant to work with after all. "And yes, if it became too much for me I'll contact the League."

Diana chuckles, "You know you remind me of someone I know. Is it really that hard to ask for help?"

That's because usually I'm the one who was asked for help, not the other way around, Clark thought. "Who is it?"

"Hahaha, I can't say who, he's very secretive~ but hopefully you'll meet him soon. I'm sure it's going to be interesting once that happens."

Clark frowns but said nothing, partly because they were already at the island. They landed behind a large outcropping of a rock where they can see the guards manning the front entrance.

"This is perfect! I don't think they know we're coming." Diana observes and she threw a smile at him. "Let's finish this quickly shall we? So we both could rest peacefully."

Superman smiles back, agreeing with her completely. "Yes, let's."

And they did. In less than an hour, they had rounded them up immediately. Wonder Woman tied up all the goons together in a one, thick rope and took all the stolen kryptonite inside a case where it couldn't affect or hurt Superman and makes bringing it over to Mount Justice easier. While waiting for the police and after double checking whether if all the goons are really knocked out or not by whacking them all in the heads, Wonder Woman got bored and brought up the dinner at the Wayne's. She kept her voice low, so that only Superman with his super hearing could hear her.

"Isn't Alfred's cooking simply superb?"

Superman glances at her, surprised, and looks away quickly. He groans quietly, why does she have to bring it up now at all times? Now that it was brought up, the mixed feelings he had been feeling earlier came back with a vengeance. "Yes, it was amazing. It somehow reminds me of my Ma's cooking."

"Your Ma's and Alfred's cooking are one of my favorites," Diana gushes, "Their dishes are always the best!"

Clark couldn't help but smile at that. "Thank you, I'll make sure to tell Ma that." Diana laughs as she walks towards him.

"Oh, I haven't thanked you yet for saving Dick earlier. Thank the gods and you were there! I couldn't quiet imagine what will happen to him if-"

Clark closes his eyes as Dick's image flashes across his mind. Baby blue eyes, round and rosy cheeks with dimples decorating them and a bright smile. The protective feeling he invoke in him.

"I'm sure Bruce will be eating his mind with worry if that happened." Diana laughs. "Oh and I've heard that you were there to interview him. So, what do you think of him? He's completely different from his public image, isn't he?" Another laugh.

Bruce. Handsome, enigmatic and sharp. He's the one who's been causing Clark to feel this way, the bane of his thoughts. The possessiveness he feels for that man is astounding. He wanted nothing more but to claim Bruce as his.

"I know I might sound bias since I'm his friend and all and this might jeopardize your view as a reporter," Diana continues, completely oblivious to the struggling man beside her, "but Bruce really is a good person. He'll do anything for the people he cares about. That's what makes him such a great friend-"

Clark felt something in him snaps. "Are you really just friends?!"

Wonder Woman stopped talking and looks surprised at his outburst. "Superman…are you okay..? Why are you acting…like that?" Diana frowns and looks at him critically, something must have connected in her brain because her eyes widen in realization. "You're jealous... and I think I know why..."

Superman frowns at her in a questioning manner. Wonder Woman opens her mouth to answer, but her eyes suddenly shifted to the side and a warning came out of her mouth instead. "Look out!"

It was too late though. Multiple greenish lights suddenly appeared out of nowhere and was directed at Superman. Something hit his head hard and landed on his feet. Kryptonite. Superman gasps as he felt his strength ebbing away and as he collapsed onto his knees, he couldn't move his body all of the sudden. Could it be that those lights are made of kryptonite?

His senses got clouded and with too many kryptonites focused on him and one by his feet, Superman found himself slowly losing consciousness. Even though he knows Wonder Woman is only a few meters from him, the sound of her fighting seems so far away…

No, I have to help her… Diana…


Wonder Woman found herself outnumbered.

Where did all of these guys come from?!

As she threw more guys to the side, more men came out of nowhere and attack her with their guns and fists, and sometime in the fight, combat robots got mixed into the fray. Wonder Woman did her best to fight and defend the fallen superhero at the same time but she knows that she'll reach her limit soon…

Whipping out a line of men away with her rope, she pulled out the red stick that she received earlier from Bruce and threw it to the sky…


Bordering on unconsciousness, Superman vaguely saw Wonder Woman pulling out a stick and throwing it to the sky. Once the stick reaches its peak, it burst into a bright light so strong, showing a dark shape of a bat with its wings outspread…

Superman doesn't understand what does the symbol mean and he doesn't know why Diana did that, isn't about time to call the League for help? Flash might get here in time…

"UGH!"

Superman snaps his eyes towards Diana just in time to see her falling to the ground, unconscious.

No, Diana…

Weakly, he felt some men coming up behind him and tying his hands in ropes made of lead and more kryptonite.

Looks like we lost this one…

Just as he thought about that, a dark shape flew towards his vision. He suddenly felt the men tying him up disappear; he felt the vibrations on the ground as one by one Luthor's goon fell before the mysterious figure. The dark creature threw something to the ground and smoke soon encased the entire surroundings…

Who…?

That was Superman's last thought as darkness finally consumed him.


Superman doesn't know what happened because he passed out. Next thing he knew he was in a plane with Wonder Woman passed out next to him. When he looked up, he got blinded by a bright light that he lost consciousness soon after that. The bright doesn't seem to be harmful though, in fact, it feels like the sun…

Then, he was in a cave. He was still weak, but he could make out two men with deep voices hovering over him, both of their faces are in the shadows though so he couldn't distinguish them.

Groaning weakly, he managed to mutter, "Who are… you…?"

"Sir, I think he's awake." One said. His voice was kind, almost elderly but his voice was unbelievably neutral, like it was deliberate to sound that way.

"No," the other one replied. His voice was deep and gravelly and Superman felt chills run up his body once he heard the voice. This man feels dangerous. "He's losing consciousness again. Look."

True to the man's word, Superman once again slipped into darkness…


When he finally woke up for real he can't feel the effects of kryptonite at all, which greatly surprised him. Alert, he looked down at himself and tested his limbs.

Strange, he thought, I don't feel tired at all.

In fact, he felt regenerated. He doesn't feel any fatigue body in his mind or body, like every stress he had been experiencing this past few days had been removed from his entire being. Not only regenerated, he felt refreshed. It feels just like when he was newly and fully recharged from the sun…

His mind flashback to the scene when he woke up in an unidentified plane with a bright light shining down upon him… Could it be? Just who is the one who had saved him and Wonder Woman from the island?

His ears perked up when he heard voices drifting over him from somewhere. He shook his head, trying to distill the leftover cobwebs in his mind. Once he felt perfectly oriented, he looked around and he found out that he's inside a HUGE cave with LOTS of bats hanging overheard, and currently it seems like he's in the medical part of the cave. The bats incessant chirping hurt his ears, but after a few seconds, he managed to tune them out.

He stood up from the bed and silently went out of the room. He followed where the voices are coming from and soon, he spotted Wonder Woman standing in front of a LARGE computer with a… um, a man in a bat costume?

Superman frowns at himself internally and shook his head. He must be seeing things, there's no way a grown- up man would dressed himself as a bat right? (A/N: This coming from a man dressed in spandex in bright colours xD) He looks up again… and yuuup, that is a man in a bat costume.

Said man was turned away from him as he was busy typing away in the computer. Diana has her arms crossed as she looks at the man with, dare he says it, exasperation. The man standing in front of her was absolutely silent though as he continues to type away.

"Batman…" Diana sighs, "are you listening to me?"

Superman couldn't believe his ears. Did she just say Batman…? Suddenly, the bat symbol in the flare she let out earlier and the bat costume all made sense. Oh my gosh, it's Batman, he thought he was just a legend.

"Diana, I don't do groups. Hell, I don't even socialize. So can you and the others stop pestering me to join? Especially Flash. It's getting annoying."

That got Superman's shock into an even more shock. He knows Flash? And Flash knows about him too? Wait… join where? Join the League?!

"We all means well. We all thinks it going to be good for you." The Amazonian princess replied in a tone that suggests that they've discussed this multiple times before.

"I know what's good for me."

Diana huffed. "Frankly, sometimes you don't."

A staring contest ensued between the two heroes and Superman floated a little bit so as not to startle the two as he flew silently towards them.

Diana sighed. "Batman, you already have a son. You can't keep up this suicidal, gung ho attitude about criminals anymore and no matter what you say you know I'm right."

Once again, Superman's shock grew and his jaw nearly drops in shock. Batman has a son?! He's a father?!

"I'm trying to be more careful."

"I really hope you do. Look, having another hero looking out for your back isn't a bad thing. You know that, I know. Despite what your attitude says… do you know that Flash, Green Arrow and I always feel grateful whenever you ask any of us for help? It makes you more reachable, more human...and it proves that we are friends."

Okay, Superman thought. So not only does he knows Flash and vice versa, but he also knows Green Arrow? Why didn't I know about this? Why haven't they mentioned anything? They never said that they know the Batman!

"Having new friends isn't bad either."

"And then what? Hang out with you in that little mountain of yours you call a headquarters?" Batman said in a monotone but Superman thought there's sarcasm underneath it.

"It's not that bad." Wonder Woman said while biting her lip.

"I'm sure the alien eavesdropping on us will say the same thing."

Diana sighed. "Only if he stopped creeping on us."

Superman was torn between being surprised that he got found out and being not surprised because Batman seems like the type of man who got super sharp senses too. Looking at him closely, Superman thought he looks… otherworldly. Maybe he came from another world too, maybe he do have heightened senses too so that's why he was able to detect him. (A/N: In your dreams Superman, Batman just has sharp senses xD Superman: Why are you always bursting my bubble? *glares at her with his eyes glowing red, oopsie daisies that's heat vision coming right up* A: …right, I'll shut up. ._.)

Coming out from his hiding, Superman flew towards them and landed beside Wonder Woman. He glares suspiciously at the dark man in front of them. "How did you know where are headquarters are?"

"I own it."

"Actually, he and Oliver co- own it." Diana clarifies. Superman's eyes widen as Diana slipped out Green Arrow's real name. What the- Diana! Diana must have noticed his surprise though because she laughs at him and said her reason. "Oh don't worry, he knows who Oliver is, they're childhood friends."

Superman's eyes nearly bulged out of its sockets. Seriously, what's up with this day full of surprises?! So not only he knows Oliver, but they're childhood friends too?! He's so not going to be surprised if he suddenly learned that Black Canary knows Batman too.

"Why do look so surprised Superman?" Diana asks, cocking her head to the side. "Almost the entire League knows Batman, except for you, J'onn and Green Lantern."

"You never mentioned anything about this!" Superman immediately tries to defend himself before his brain caught up to what Wonder Woman had just said. "Wait, do you mean to tell me that Shayera knows about him too?"

Batman lets out a grunt, but he never one look at his direction nor did he stop typing on his computer which kinda irked Superman. "I was the one who rescued Hawkgirl when she first arrived here on Earth. After she crashed in here, I gave her shelter and everything she needs for her survival. The mountain that you now reside as your headquarters was originally the shelter that I gave her. Oliver later bought half of the ownership of it from me when you decided to make it your base and form your little League."

Before Superman could comment on the 'little League,' Wonder Woman got up to his face and frowns. "What do you mean we never mentioned anything about it? We always tell you stories about him!"

Superman frowns back at her. "Yes, stories. You all always make it sound as if he was nothing but a story. Up until now I thought he was just a legend."

Batman let out another grunt but otherwise didn't say anything else. Diana, on the other hand, shrugs. "Well, it's all thanks to Mr. Mysterious over there."

"Let me get this straight," Superman said and focused on Diana, "so you all know each other?"

"I think we already establish that fact seconds ago."

"I think his mind is still affected by kryptonite that's why he's slow on the uptake." Batman grumbles. "Or is he normally like that?"

A tick formed on Superman's head as Diana laughs out loud and as he glares at the masked 'hero.' His Ma drilled manners in him and he's not especially going to lose his patience to the man who had, begrudgingly, saved their lives. It's seriously pissing him off too that the man hasn't even look at him once, like he's not worthy of having his attention. Just who does this man thinks he is? Taking a deep breathe, he said through gritted teeth, "I thank you for saving our lives earlier. The League, especially Wonder Woman and I, owes you one. Please, do not hesitate to call us if you ever need our help."

"No, thanks," the bat grunted. "I work alone."

Diana turns to him in frustration. "Batman! Be nice."

"I don't do nice," Batman grumbles. "I suggest that you leave me alone now that both of you are fine. You know the drill to newcomers, Diana."

"But Batman-"

"Leave. Take this alien off my property."

Diana huffed as she went behind Superman who was barely restraining himself from snapping. "Fine, but by the gods this conversation is far from over Batman. I or the others will come back to you soon."

As soon as she said that, Diana took a handful of his cape and smiles sweetly at him. Superman raised a brow in a questioning manner, but the next thing he knew, his cape was thrown at his face.

"Ah!" Superman didn't even get a chance to struggle properly as his cape was completely wrapped around his head and he can't see anything but the redness of his cape. Vaguely, he felt himself being lifted up by Wonder Woman and then he was suddenly being dragged by the princess as they flew out of the cave. Superman felt absolutely disoriented as Wonder Woman flew in a dizzying pattern and all he could see is his cape and nothing else. What the heck is going on?

There was a swooshing- sound and Superman just knew that they were finally out of the cave. As he struggled to get his cape out of his face, he heard Wonder Woman saying goodbye to him.

"Bye, Superman! Until next time!"

"Wait, Diana… ugh…" Taking a deep breath as he finally broke free, Clark look around at the great expanse of sky and found that he was now all alone. Sighing, Clark started to fly back towards Metropolis. It has been a really tiring day…

Batman huh, Clark thought as he flew, what a jerk…


Said jerk was now sighing in relief as he pulls off his mask from his face. The reason why he couldn't bear to look at Superman earlier was because he was sure that he'll feel the same pull again that was tugging him towards the man...just like that time on the concert... just like what happened earlier during the interview...

Bruce shook his head as he changes out of his costume. Superman huh, what an idiot...


A/N: Review guys please~!

Reply:

Mireilles3: Oh, he really is in for a surprise! Haha, and umm, I know my story is kinda predictable but why are my readers so smart? T^T I feel so proud for you~!